Goudotostes rajemisonae, Ballerio, 2021

Ballerio, Alberto, 2021, The Ceratocanthinae of Madagascar and Comoro Islands: a revision of the genera Synarmostes and Goudotostes, and of the flightless Philharmostes, with description of 64 new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Hybosoridae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 105-282 : 192-193

Goudotostes rajemisonae sp. nov.

( Figs 8 f-g, 67 a-j, 77) http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:60D90FF0-2D8D-44F0-BB37-3F924E9836C2

Type series. Holotype, ♂, deposited in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA, labelled as follows: / CASTYPE 20278 / HT: CASENT 8058272 / Madagascar: Toamasina Montagne d’Anjanaharibe 18.0 km 21° NNE Ambinanitelo elev. 470 m 8-12 Mar. 2003 15° 11’ 18” S 049° 36’ 54” E / California Acad. of Sciences coll. Fisher, Griswold et al. sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood) in rainforest collection code: BLF 8002/ Goudotostes rajemisonae n. sp. det. A. Ballerio 2020 Holotypus ♂ / [distended, glued on card, dissected, male genitalia glued in DMHF resin on a separate card, same pin]. Paratypes [3 ♂♂ dissect- ed]: 1 ♂ and 2 ♀♀ (2 in CASC and 1 in ABCB), same collecting data as holotype. 11 ♂♂ and 10 ♀♀ (16 in CASC and 5 in ABCB): / Madagascar: Toamasina Montagne d’Akirindro 7.6 km 341° NNW Ambinanitelo elev. 600 m 17-21 Mar. 2003 / 15° 17’ 18” S 049° 32’ 54” E / California Acad. of Sciences coll. Fisher, Griswold et al. sifted litter (leaf mold, rotten wood) rainforest collection code: BLF 8250 /.

Diagnosis. Goudotostes rajemisonae sp. nov. can be differentiated from all other species of Goudotostes by the following combination of characters: a) small size, b) dorsal ocular area absent, c) clypeal apical projection pointed, d) clypeal punctation made of dense large deeply impressed simple punctures, e) fronto-clypeal tubercle present, f) pronotal anterior carina bilobate, g) pronotal basal carina bilobate, h) pronotal disc covered by relatively sparse (mainly on disc) large simple deeply impressed punctures, i) elytral dorsal area covered by three longitudinal carinae shortly interrupted multiple times, j) elytral first interstria (area between sutural stria and first longitudinal carina) with dense punctation (interpunctural distance inferior than punctural diameter), k) left paramere with ventral margin invaginated (a character which places this species in the laevis group of species), l) the distinctive shape of parameres (as in Figs 67 g-j). Within the laevis species group, Goudotostes rajemisonae sp. nov. can be confused with Goudotostes rafanomezantsoai sp. nov., from which differs mainly because of the elytral sculpturing: in G. rajemisonae sp. nov. elytra are covered by at least three rows of longitudinal carinae, sometimes shortly interrupted, whereas in G. rafanomezantsoai sp. nov. the longitudinal carinae are replaced by sparse irregular tubercles mixed to few very short carinae. The shape of paremeres is different too, with right paramere of G. rafanomezantsoai sp. nov. subtruncate, whereas in G. rajemisonae sp. nov. is broadly pointed.

Description. Size: HL = 0.9 mm; HW = 1.3 mm; PL = 1.2 mm; PW = 2.2 mm; EL = 2.2 mm; EW = 2.1 mm. Overall morphology as in generic diagnosis. Small-sized Goudotostes . Body strongly convex. Black, shiny, dorsum with extremely short fine setation (50×), underside, tarsi and antennae dark reddish-brown, setation yellowish-brown. Head: W/L ratio = 1.39; clypeal apex obtuse, apical projection strongly developed and sexually dimorphic, sides almost rectilinear with slightly unaligned genae in correspondence with the genal suture; dorsal ocular area absent, genal canthus indistinct, ventral ocular area small-sized, genae acute, distinctly protruding outwards, genal suture indistinct; head dorsal surface uniformly covered by dense large impressed simple punctures, fore margin marked by some irregular transverse lines. Interpunctural distance inferior than punctural diameter. Fronto-clypeal tubercle very weakly raised, smooth and blunt. Pronotum: subrectangular (dorsal view) (W/L ratio = 2.00), convex, fore angles gently subtruncate; pronotal surface covered by dense large deep simple punctures becoming sparser smaller and comma-shaped at sides, area near fore angles with few irregular lines, interpunctural distance mostly as long as punctural diameter; pronotal bead complete although not visible from above along base; bilobate basal carina raised; bilobate anterior carina raised; pronotal sculpturing made of large and gently raised tubercles and carinae as follows: sides of disc with one gently raised transverse carina reaching outer margin. Scutellum : basal area smooth, remaining surface covered by impressed transverse large comma-shaped punctures mixed to some large impressed simple punctures.

Elytra: longer than wide (W/L ratio = 0.86), subovoidal (dorsal view), strongly convex; humeral callus marked by a tubercle; elytral surface covered by large deep horseshoe-shaped punctures with opening directed backwards mixed to large impressed comma-shaped and simple punctures, interpunctural distance almost equal to or inferior than punctural diameter. Striated articular area hardly visible in lateral view, relatively narrow and short; inferior sutural stria visible and complete; marginal area large-sized; elytral articular process well developed, smooth and shiny, isolated from remaining elytral surface by a deep furrow. Elytral sculpturing as follows: base with one raised large tubercle below articular process with apex directed backwards (parasutural tubercle), next to it a humeral oblique large raised tubercle with apex directed backwards (humeral tubercle), dorsal area of elytra with three to four irregular and asymmetrical rows of weakly raised smooth carinae, sides and apical third with some more raised tubercles and longitudinal short carinae. Wings: flightless. Male genitalia: aedeagus (L = 0.7 mm) with parameres as in Figs 67 g-j, spiculum gastrale (L = 0.6 mm) as in Fig. 67 f .

Etymology. Noun in the genitive case. Named after Balsama Rajemison ( Madagascar Biodiversity Center, Antananarivo), member of the Malagasy lab team of CAS.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the type locality in Eastern Madagascar. The type series was collected by sifting leaf litter and rotten wood in rainforest. The vegetation cover consists of “lowland moist evergreen forest”, ( Goodman et al. 2018) also known as “humid forest” ( Moat & Smith 2007). The collecting locality falls within the protected area “Réserve Spéciale d’Anjanaharibe-Sud”.

Figures

Fig. 8 – a, Cryptosphaeroides hystrix, antenna (ped: pedicellus); b, Synarmostes benaraensis sp. nov., antenna; c, Pseudosynarmostes mitsinjo, antenna, antenna; d, Goudotostes mayottensis sp. nov.; e, Philharmostes scapulatus sp. nov., antenna; f, Goudotostes rajemisonae sp. nov., aedeagus showing invaginated left paramere (pi: paramere invagination); g, Goudotostes rajemisonae sp. nov., detail of circled area of Fig. f showing sensilla.

Fig. 67 – Goudotostes rajemisonae sp. nov., holotype,a, dorsal view of distended specimen; b, ventral view of rolled up specimen; c, dorsal view of rolled up specimen; d, ventral view of rolled up specimen; e, lateral view of rolled up specimen; f, spiculum gastrale; g–j, four views of aedeagus.